Getting Stronger...strength and will power

KG is a very determined little child! I guess I knew she would be from the beginning. Even in the womb she was determined to come early. And I'm thankful she did.

She has had her first few little illnesses in March. A sinus infection first then viral pharyngitis. The sinus infection didn't slow her down, except when we had to use the nose bulb thing. Whew...she can get mad! With the viral pharyngitis, we could tell she wasn't right, b/c of fever and she wouldn't eat. Her little throat was hurting her...but don't think she hasn't caught back up.

At our 9 month check-up during spring break, she was 18lbs. and 7 oz (I think that's right). And she was 28 3/4" in height. A week later when we went for illness, she was already up to 19lbs. 5 oz. She was excited to hear the doctor say she can eat from the table! REAL FOOD!!! We have moved to the 3rds in the baby food jars, and she tries whatever we are eating. Spaghetti has not been her favorite in the baby foods. Hopefully when she gets the real stuff later she will like it better.

The sun bonnet she has on is one that my grandmother bought for me at a flea market when I was little. It is so sweet on her.

She does so good at standing by herself till she realizes she's not holding anything. Then she freaks out and plops down to the ground.

 The picture above is Aunt Betty and the one below is Uncle Dale. These are Ryan's great aunt and uncle, and our soon to be neighbors. We are trying to sale our house, and move into Ryan's grandmother's house in Star. We are excited about being in the country, KG will love all the land.

These are my sweet friends that just returned from California with a new baby. Jacey (the baby) has spinal bifida, so Jamie (the mom) had to deliver at the hospital in California. After delivery the doctors there were able to do some surgery on Jacey to help her in the future. Their return home what a huge gathering. Jason (the dad) is the narcotics guy for Pearl PD, so we were able to get them a police escort home. It was amazing seeing the police guide them home, and welcome one of their own back. It was such a blessing to see them come off that plane. Praise the Lord for all their safe return.

Crawl, Stand-up, Teeth, Walk...

KG has conquered lots of stages in life for a little person. Eight months now, KG is crawling all over the place. She has learn recently, that if she uses her right foot instead of her knee, she can gain speed. Sometimes it's nice, b/c I can say "come on KG"...and she follows right behind. Other times, I want her to stay and I'll come right back, but she's right under my feet when I turn around. After she conquered the crawling thing, walking has been her focus. She is trying so hard to get to her feet. She LOVES the walker. Her need for speed and the wheels on the walker to assist...boy, she can GO!!! A week ago yesterday, I noticed she was chewing even more than normal on everything!!!! Bless her heart, I think she has been teething for four months. Well, I checked again, and YES there was a sharp edge of a tooth. I got so excited! Two days later, we can see two coming through. I know TWO teeth at the same time. And yet she is still in such wonderful moods. A few more dirty diapers; pints, quarts, no gallons of drool; and little cat naps...she is still such a happy baby even through the pain of teething. We couldn't ask for a better baby and so healthy!



There's always fun when she's around!

 

We had a wonderful visit with Ryan's grandmother! She was in such great spirits.



KG is definitely an outside girl! After we struggled through the cold weather, KG has loved being outside. I think she has even learned what it means when someone says outside. Those little ears perk up, and she's ready to go.

KG had a great Valentine! She got to see family from Philadelphia, Uncle Jeff came to play, helped Nonna pack the car for Grumps to go out of town, and then a nap...Wow a busy day!

 



She acts so Grown sometimes! We couldn't get her to finish her bottle the other night. She wanted a glass instead...so I put the milk in the glass. She drank every last drop. Talk about big girl!

Sometimes we have good days with Gerdie. Normally Gerdie does her own thing and ignores KG, but I guess she got bored b/c we had been inside all day. I love how sweet it shows them both with the fire glowing in the back ground. :)

 

Again Mrs. Emily has come through for another day of fun with toys!



The new favorite is to chase the dog up and down Nonna's driveway. The dog has to be quick, because she can really go!





Overalls!!!



Yeah...It was a beautiful day! KG really enjoyed getting ready for St Patty's day and the sunshine. After she took several trips outside with Nonna, we came home and took our walk too. She loves to ride around the neighborhood, but she doesn't like the sun in her eyes. She spent part of the time chewing on the bar. I'm sure there's little tiny holes in that thing now. But it's just so cute! After all that playing, we realized she got her first splinter in her thumb. It didn't seem to slow her down though.



Let's get started!

For the past four months or so, I have watched my sweet friends blog about their children. I have seen their babies grow every month, and I wanted to follow their lead. Finally, I set up a blog for our family. I logged-in, and with a blank look on my face, emailed a friend for help! She was gracious enough to give me a short tutoring session this past weekend. Although it has taken me all week to get started, I have started the process. I have noticed with friends, I feel like I'm still connected with them as their children grow even though we may can only see each other once a month. I have just recently realized how quickly a baby can grow in that short amount of time. A month is HUGE in baby land!

Seven months ago, baby Katy Gray came to see us! She has blessed our lives beyond what we could expect. She is a natural in front of a camera...thankfully! She has multiple pictures taken of her everyday. My mom is wonder woman, and keeps KG everyday while I'm at work. It is great to know around lunch time everyday, my phone will buzz. It's a picture and/or video of that sweet baby girl. What daycare would send you a picture every day? We have been able to capture most of KG's life on camera. How funny to think of the 1000s of pictures we have of her. But wow, we are going to have a great baby picture book when it's done.

 

She had Granny going in this video. She would pull up, slide down, scream, and then back to do it again. Sure sounded like they both were having a good time.

 We have learned from her the meaning of pure determination. When KG sets her mind to something, she is going to do it. She has been a cuddler, but recently she has found a need for independence. She has set her mind on walking and is trying hard. I keep telling her she is too young, but she seems to ignore my advice...I'm sure that will continue. She can crawl, and that seemed to happen over night; but she would much rather you hold your hands out so she can pull up. Once she is up, she expects you to go. Her new trick is to pull up, and let go with her hands. She gets so proud of herself. She will stand there with this look like, "how long can I hold up this time". If she falls, she will try again. I feel we have been blessed, that she is good at catching herself when she falls. We have had a few bumps and bruises. Last Sunday, we had our first bruise in Sunday School on one eye, and that night fell and cut the other eye. I will say this, she is definitely tough though. There will be bruises, but it doesn't make my heart hurt any less when she falls.

I had been debating on if I should get her a walker or not. Baby stuff can get expensive. With her trying so hard to walk now, I wasn't sure if it was worth paying for one and her maybe not using it long. Well, mom found one at a seconds shop yesterday. We put her in it, and she knew what to do. It took her no time and she was off! Smart girl!!!

When KG and I arrive home in the afternoon, she comes to the kitchen with me to help cook. She has been playing with the mixing bowls and spoons already. When her daddy walks in the door, she becomes 'daddy's girl' till bed time.

KG is a great eater! At three months the doctor told us we could begin some food. Boy, that was her favorite day. Most babies make a huge mess, especially the first time with a  spoon. Not KG...she didn't want to waste a drop. Out of all the foods, the only thing that has not gone well was the sweet peas. Of course, that's her mom's favorite veggie! But she has enjoyed all the others fruits and veggie blends that Gerber baby makes. I have been amazed at her eating everything. We have no picky eater on our hands.

Her favorite thing is a teething toy that holds fruit. Every so often, she will seem hungry, but not time for a meal. So we will give her whatever fruit we have inside the toy. She has had apples, oranges, melon, cantaloupe, pears, etc. Whoever invented that thing, is brilliant! KG has enjoyed all different kinds of fruit that she wouldn't have without the toy, and it's helping her teething too. When she sees it, she goes crazy! And don't try to take it away from her till she is ready.



After a professional photographer session where the photographer had a monkey hat, mom searched to find one. It's so soft, and KG loves to rub the ears to help her go to sleep. We get compliments everywhere we go on her hat. She does so good about leaving it on.



    

KG has had a busy life in her short seven months. She has been to three MSU games. And is the cutest little bulldog you have seen. Cousin Joshua (he's at MSU now) gave her a baby cowbell for Christmas.

For Halloween, she was a baby bumble bee. We help my mom with a trunk or treat at their church. We had the trunk decorated like a bee hive, and little miss bee at the hole of the hive. It was so much fun!

For Christmas, her Glass grandparents gave her an iPad. She knows how to turn the pages in iBooks. She likes the Winnie the Pooh story. The colorful xylophone has been her favorite, along with Veggie Tales, Mickey Mouse, and Baby Einstein that she can watch. She's going to be very techy!

Anytime a man with a hat picks her up, she thinks that hat is for her. So she has to have them put it on her head. It's really sweet.